I often complain about crosswords which contain outdated words such as EER, QUAFF and AFRO or names of nearly forgotten actors. Today I was surprised to see VUVUZUELA. The long South African noisemaker was originally made from the horn of a kudu---PETA would have staged massive protests if they had been around back then. The "vuvu" part of the name was in imitation of the sound made by blowing into the horn. Plastic versions have been popular since the 1960s. A few years ago, soccer fans starting blowing vuvuzuelas during matches and Brazil banned vuvuzuelas from the 2014 World Cup. Good for Brazil!

ELEMI was a word I was unfamiliar with. More properly known as canarium luzonicum, it's an oleoresin that comes from a genus of tree which grows in the Philippines. It's used in lacquers and varnishes...and in anti-wrinkle creams. Yeah, I can see how a coating of lacquer on my face would slow the formation of wrinkles!